The Local Lowdown – December 2017

SAN ANTONIO AND LIVE OAK OFFICIALS CONTINUE TO COLLABORATE on a solution to traffic woes at Toepperwein and Lookout roads, according to San Antonio District 10 Councilman Clayton Perry. Live Oak representatives agreed to conduct a traffic study, to be reviewed by San Antonio’s Transportation and Capital Improvements. Together, they’re working on making the necessary enhancements to bolster traffic safety, Perry said in a newsletter to residents.

CPS ENERGY PRESENTED TWO CHECKS RECENTLY TO THE JUDSON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT — $382,341.19 and $194,711.28 — for taking a load off the power grid, officials said. The first was based on savings through the CPS Energy Demand Response program, which provides financial incentives to commercial customers who reduce power usage during peak hours. JISD saw an average drop of 5,823 kilowatts this past summer, according to officials. The second amount resulted from energy-efficiency savings over the past year at various campuses and offices.

WAGNER HIGH SCHOOL’S CULINARY-ARTS TEAM WON THE BEST OVERALL CATEGORY at the Go Public Back-to-School Cook-Off.As part of the prize, teacher and chef Rosie Laster and her squad recently took over The Barn Door Restaurant in San Antonio serving 50 meals to guests based on their winning recipes.

THE JUDSON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT BROKE GROUND NOV. 15 ON WORTHAM OAKS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, 5710 Carriage Cape. This is the second elementary funded by the 2016 bond, with $214 million in construction projects approved by voters. It’s scheduled to open January 2019 accommodating 750 students, relieving Rolling Meadows Elementary School overflow.

LIVE OAK CITIZENS ASSISTING POLICE raised $5,000 — more than double its goal — to outfit two police dogs in custom-fitted armored vests. The Live Oak Police Department’s active-duty canine, Warrant, was recently given protection. The town’s fiscal budget calls for acquiring another dog, which will eventually be sized, too, according to the city’s magazine. For more about the nonprofit police-support group, email LOCAP@liveoak.tx.net or call 210-945-4700.

CONVERSE LIONS CLUB, ARTISTIC ANGELS AND RED HATTERS recently partnered to clean part of FM 78. This was the first time the civic groups united to collect trash along the busy east Bexar County thoroughfare. To volunteer, call 210-602-0291.

ABOUT 50 NORTHEAST LAKEVIEW COLLEGE STUDENTS this fall joined with Converse for Clean-Up Day. The city’s Public Works Department and the collegians offered free debris pickup to residents, officials said. For more, call the agency at 210-659-9513 or email mlongoria@conversetx.net.

LIVE OAK CITY COUNCIL RECENTLY PRESENTED SUZANNE HILDEBRAND WITH A CITIZEN RECOGNITION AWARD for her groundbreaking work raising awareness about the lack of area stroke centers. Her husband Ray, a former San Antonio Police Department officer and Live Oak mayor, died of a stroke in 2008, at a time when there were no nearby hospitals designated as stroke centers. Over the years, Hildebrand’s efforts helped lead to the opening of more than 10 hospitals offering stroke care in the San Antonio area certified through the Texas Council on Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke, officials said.

A DISTRICTWIDE DRIVE BY THE JUDSON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT’S POLICE DEPARTMENT led to the collection of more than 6,000 cans of yams by students. The goods were donated to the annual Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner, which feeds more than 25,000 elderly, homeless and needy. Elementary schools amassing the most were Converse (2,409 cans), Elolf (1,642), and Olympia (1,249).

CANDLEWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHER JENNIFER SILVA WAS SELECTED ONE OF 12 EDUCATORS NATIONWIDE FOR THE JAVITS-FRASIER SCHOLARS PROGRAM by the National Association for Gifted Children. A teacher who specializes in gifted and talented youngsters, Silva supports learners from low-income and minority backgrounds, officials said. The scholars program chooses instructors showing passion and innovation for underrepresented populations, officials said. She attended the annual convention in November held in Charlotte, North Carolina.

VOLUNTEERS ARE SOUGHT FOR THE FEB. 3 SCHERTZ-CIBOLO-UNIVERSAL CITY INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT LEGO ROBOTICS area qualifier at Corbett Junior High School, 12000 Ray Corbett Drive in Schertz. Organizers need judges, scorekeepers, Robot Table assistants, announcers, welcome-desk staff and runners. High school students can volunteer for service hours. No skills required; training provided. Register at https://my.usfirst.org/FIRSTPortal/Login/VIMS_Login.aspx and email Corbett Principal Tracey Bandy at tbandy@scuc.txed.net.

WIEDERSTEIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS AND STAFF RAISED MORE THAN $819 to buy books for Refugio Elementary School, heavily damaged by Hurricane Harvey. The Texas Gulf Coast campus received three boxes of donated books.